Treatment of Sulphate Rich Effluents with the Combined Electrolytic/Biological Process

Expanded Title:

Sulphate rich waters such as acid mine drainage (AMD) contribute directly to the mineralisation and degradation of receiving waters, which pose a serious environmental threat. Several sulphate removal technologies have been developed, amongst which the biological sulphate removal process. For the treatment of AMD, expensive organic material (e.g. ethanol or sugar) is used as the energy source. The use of hydrogen as an energy source presents a cheaper alternative for sulphate removal and pre-treatment of the effluent (AMD that is rich in iron(II)) is also achieved via iron(II) oxidation. By using hydrogen instead of organic energy sources, no residual organic material is left behind that would require post-treatment.